New Book Details Vision Pro's Troubled Launch in Apple Stores

A new book by New York Times labor reporter Noam Scheiber argues that Apple's decade-long erosion of its retail workforce directly contributed to the disappointing launch of the Apple Vision Pro in early 2024 (via WIRED). The book, Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class, draws on interviews with Apple Store employees to document how staffing cuts, reduced training, and a shift toward aggressive sales metrics left Apple retail staff ill-equipped to demo the Vision Pro. Apple flew hundreds of retail employees to Cupertino in early 2024 for secretive Vision Pro training, requiring NDAs, phone confiscation, and strict silence between colleagues at different stages of the program, to preserve the "novelty" of the experience. Upon their return to their stores, they were tasked with leading four-hour workshops, but many salespeople received only minimal preparation, with some given as little as a 20-minute demo and limited time to rehearse a complex script before pr